CDC: Most Nosocomial Infections Fall

Progress seen at national level, though more mixed in state-by-state analysis.

by John Gever John Gever Managing Editor, MedPage Today
January 14, 2015

Rates of most major types of healthcare-associated infections have declined markedly in recent years, the CDC said Wednesday, although the trend did not extend to catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

In 2013, significant decreases in standardized infection rates were seen for central line-associated bloodstream infections (down 46% from 2008), surgical site infections (down 19% from 2008), hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections (down 8% from 2011), and hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infections (down 10% from 2011), according to the National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report.

But catheter-associated urinary tract infections had a 6% uptick from 2009 to 2013, the report said. On the other hand, "initial data seem to indicate that these infections have started to decrease."

Data for the report came from the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network, which collects information from some 14,500 hospitals and other facilities.

In addition to the national summary, the report also included state-by-state data (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) on the major classes of healthcare-associated infection, for which the picture was more mixed.

Some states saw massive increases in certain types of infection -- a 42% increase in rates of MRSA bacteremia in Alabama, for example -- while others showed dramatic declines, such as Louisiana's decrease of 37% in C. difficile.

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